Blue Eyes
by soundslikeaplan
Summary: From City of Bones onwards, telling Alec's story and how he and Magnus meet, how Alec struggles to face his feelings and how in the end, Magnus was all he ever searched for. Malec, Going to be M Rated when finished.
1. The One With The Club

„You're sure you got something?" Alec scanned the room full of dancing people suspiciously, his voice raised so Isabelle could hear him over the thumpa thumpa of the music.

The black haired girl whipped her head back impatiently to give her brother an annoyed look. "The pendant started glowing just now, there has to be something around here. Probably not the most potent demon, but still, one less in the world is always improvement, if you ask me. " She sounded nearly disappointed when she said it, as if she had hoped to face something more dangerous tonight. Alec made a noncommittal noise. It wasn't like he hadn't expected some kind of demon to show up, in Pandemonium, there always somehow did. The dark atmosphere and the shrill people seemed to draw dark creatures as a light would draw insects.

He himself was everything but shrill. Clad nearly completely in black, the only color coming from his blue eyes, Alec felt like he didn't belong. Not that he felt like he belonged anywhere, really. The only time he really felt comfortable was when he and Jace fought together. When he felt that Jace needed him as much as Alec needed Jace most of the time. Not now, when he had vanished in the throng of people to 'check out the prey'. Sometimes Alec wondered if he was the only one who could do without the constant fear of being killed by demons. More so, the constant fear of his family killed by demons, Jace-

He slumped lower on the wall, snapping out of his moody thoughts and looked around. Focusing on the club's happenings once more he wasn't really surprised to find Isabelle gone. Always impatient when it came to getting a job finished. Alec only needed one quick look over the crowd to make her out in the middle of the dance floor, having just folded a piece of paper in her hand that she quickly tucked away in her silk corset. A tall boy, maybe a little older than Alec, with tanned skin and spiky black hair strolled away from her, winking at Isabelle as he did. Alec immediately went into protective brother mode (even though with Isabelle as a sister, it was an exhausting job), but just as he was glaring in the boy's direction, said boy turned, locking eyes with him across the dance floor. His eyes shone in the dark, reflecting light with a great intensity like a cat's that left Alec a little disconcerted. There was a moment where the boy's eyebrows raised a fraction in surprise and his grin dimmed slightly, probably because he hadn't expected being watched, before the smirk returned- full force – once more, making Alec feel extremely self conscious.

He looked behind himself, even when he knew there was only wall there. Surely he had looked at someone in his vicinity, he couldn't have noticed him, all in black; nearly fading in with the wall he was leaning onto…- Alec whirled around again to come face to face with Jace, elbow propped to the wall while he studied his nails in a bored way.

"Found something interesting?" he drawled, not looking up from his hand.

"No!"Alec started, feeling like he had been caught durning something he shouldn't be doing, but when Jace, surprised, raised his head at his breathless tone, Alec tried again, "I mean, yes, I mean, not me but Izzy, she did, I haven't though, nothing interesting at all." Well, that had worked quite well, hadn't it? Involuntarily his eyes went over Jace's shoulder to seek out the spot the boy had stood just a few seconds before but there was no black spikes anywhere he looked. He focused his attention back t the blond boy in front of him, who was giving him a bewildered look.

"So… what did your sister find?" Jace's tone suggested that he found Alec's behavior highly suspicious but he seemed to drop it for the moment.

"Her pendant caught something, but we're not sure what exactly. No Greater Demon in any case. I think Izzy went on a reconnaissance mission but…" he trailed off lamely, not wanting to admit that he hadn't paid attention to where his sister went. Also, his concentration seemed to drop. Despite trying to not notice how close he and Jace were standing, he could feel Jace's breath on his collarbone and see tawny eyes darken to nearly black at the words, adventurous. He breathed in deeply, just as Jace stepped back, giving the room a quick look-over.

Alec's heartbeat had sped up noticeably and he willed himself to exhale slowly, calming his nerves. Against his will he considered the irony: He faced and fought demons on a regular basis, never as much as a nervous feeling of anticipation in the pit of his stomach- and here he was, felling dizzy just from _standing close to_ his best friend.

'_Eah, right. Best friend. Because that's all you want him to be,' _A little voice in his head whispered annoyingly.

"There she is," Jace suddenly exclaimed, heading off into the crowd with so much as a backward glance. Alec stood rooted to the spot for nearly two seconds, trying to drown out the rushing of blood in his ears before he followed Jace, hand automatically wandering to his belt to make sure he was properly equipped. The seraph blade dangled securely from the leather strip. Alec pulled his too big sweater down again, shielding the blade and the daggers he wore additionally from view even when it wasn't really necessary as he had glamoured himself as soon as he had taken off after Jace. He had walked into the club glamoured as well, mostly to avoid explaining himself to the bouncer when he would have searched him. Inside, Jace, Isabelle and he had dropped the glamour instantly. It cost some energy and wasn't required in the club as long as nothing of interest showed up. The usual visitors of Pandemonium had a soft spot for odd accessories, ranging from fake vampire teeth to contact lenses in the most dubious colors to finger nails filed so sharp they looked more like claws. A dagger was not unseen in those scenes, even though Alec's was probably the only real ones and didn't consist of rubber but metal.

Jace stopped when he was nearly on the other side of the room, Alec coming to a halt right behind him, following his gaze to a door nearly completely defaced by graffiti. In front of it, approximately 30 feet away, stood Isabelle, her dress standing out against the dark wall.

His sister had obviously found what the pendant had already known. She was eying a blue-eyed youth as she disappeared through the door. Not before her eyes had wandered lazily over the crowd, stopping minutely at Jace and Alec's direction, though, to make sure they saw her before she vanished.

Jace looked over his shoulder, flashing Alec a mischievous grin that made his breath hitch in the back of his throat, before the blond boy turned around again, following the demon and Isabelle.

The sparkle in the other boy's eyes made Alec's stomach turn. He knew Jace could be reckless, especially when there was a demon involved and he reminded himself to keep an extra eye out for Jace. Not that he didn't look after him anyway. He didn't enjoy those missions, but he would be even more concerned if Jace and Isabelle went alone. They were both in their element, so much that they sometimes did forget how dangerous their job actually was.

_Better get this over with quickly, _Alec thought as he kept his eyes warily on Jace, making his way through the crowd.


	2. The One With The Warlock

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has favorited/reviewed so far. I really appreciate it. I know we're moving a little fast with this chapter but I promise after the next one, I will try to get a little more detailed with the chapters. Hope you enjoy this installment; it was very fun to write for me.

A question to everyone who chooses to review. Do you want me to write the scenes that are already covered in the books out of Alec's perspective? Or should I stick to how I write now, with only writing the scenes around the scenes we know? Anyway, would be awesome to hear from you and for you to tell me what you think!

...

The One With The Warlock

Alec is slumped in the armchair in his room, his knees are pulled up to rest just below his chin. His arms are slung around his legs, and he is picking at his nails, a nervous habit that Alec tried to abandon but that always seemed to come back when he got upset.

Isabelle is sprawled on Alec's bed, going through some magazine, flipping through the pages and pointing out random facts when she stumbled across one that seems vaguely interesting.

"Did you know that Leonardo DiCaprio was doing a new movie?"

"Who?"

Isabelle looked slightly startled. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother to tell you things like that…"

Alec made an annoyed noise. "Maybe because you, like me, are stuck here while Jace and _Clary"_ Alec tried to put as much venom in the two syllables as he can, "go around doing who knows what even when the mundane has no experience whatsover. And since Hodge doesn't want us to do anything until _they're_ back, we're stuck with each other."

Alec knows it is stupid to be jealous of the mundane girl, but Alec can't help but feel like strangling her whenever she opens her mouth. She seems to be only interested in her own problems, she never does what she is told and she behaves like she is a trained Shadowhunter because she, with some luck, killed a Ravener, something Alec is still not entirely sure is the complete truth.

Isabelle, for her part, has sat up and is studying with a look Alec is not so sure he likes. Her eyes are slightly narrowed and she's worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

"You don't think she's a Shadowhunter?", Isabelle asked slowly.

"Don't know."Alec answered, slumping even deeper into the cushions.

He lets out a frustrated breath. Of course she is. Jace had said he had found her practically in the midst of killing a demon and she had survived Marking without any side effects. Alec just wanted to believe it wasn't true so he could tell himself it was okay to feel this kind of hostility towards the girl because she would be out of their lives in a few days anyway. He was nearly completely sure there would be no such luck for him. He had a sneaking suspicion that they would see a lot of her in the future. And he didn't like it one bit.

"I think she's interesting. In a clueless mundane kind of way." Isabelle mused.

That was exactly the problem about Clary. The worst part about her was that everyone… -that _Jace _seemed so… _taken _by her. He had been subtle about it, but Alec knows him well enough to see the fascination in his face and it sent a surge of anger and desperation through his body when he saw the way he looked at her, talked to her, talked _about _her. He wanted to tell his sister how he felt, how he was scared.

"Mpf", is what he said.

Isabelle seemed to contemplate him for a moment before she got up from the bed.

"Let's get you something to eat."

"What?" Alec asked with narrowed eyes.

"I know you tend to forget to eat when you're upset," said Isabelle, already by the door. "Come on."

"-m not hungry," Alec mumbles, thinking about Isabelle's cooking abilities. He shuddered.

"You still can't starve yourself. We'll order something."

With a defeated sigh, Alec disentangled himself from his seat.

Sure enough, that trip Jace and Clary did together had not been the last one by a long shot. When they came back from their trip they had gathered some information and the next thing Alec knew was that the had to visit the City of Bones. Of course, he wasn't invited to this journey either. The only consolation was that he wasn't all too fond of the Silent Brothers. He somehow didn't like the idea of people speaking in his mind. It made him feel even more vulnerable than he already did.

He couldn't even go to Isabelle to complain now, because his sister had taken some liking in the mundane, Simon (Clary's friend and a mundie under the mundanes, if Alec's judgment was anything to go by). So, a fair part of his time was spend moping around, staring moodily out of the window and when he needed to distract himself, in the training Halls.

When he got the phone call from Jace, telling him to meet him at the restaurant to discuss further course of action. Alec was not sure he was looking forward to it, but went there anyway, stringing Isabelle and Simon along.

_Magnus Bane. _High Warlock of Brooklyn. Why he had to have anything to do with Clary was beyond Alec. He had to admit that the whole story was getting kind of interesting. That Isabelle actually had been invited to one of his parties was a lucky coincidence. Alec remembered the black haired boy from the club and wondered if he would be at the party as well. Not that he really cared. He put on one of his fancier sweaters that could be even called presentable (ie. without holes or stitches) anyway.

Going to a Downworlder party always bore its risks. Many of them didn't care for Shadowhunters that much, but there were quite a few that were suspicious and another part was outright hostile. Not that Alec couldn't understand them, seeing as they were viewed as an inferior by many of the Clave and its followers.

Despite parties being not his favorite activity by far and Clary still being around more than Alec would have liked (which was not at all), he tried to pretend to be in a good mood. After Jace, Isabelle, Clary, Simon and he had agreed on attending the warlock's party, he and Jace had spend nearly the entire day together. Alec nearly felt like he had before the whole thing with Clary had started. Up to the moment when she had come down the stairs with Isabelle, dressed in what could hardly be described as a dress anymore and had caught Jace's attention once again. Alec reminded himself for what felt like the hundredth time to give his sister a lecture on what not to dress Clary into as soon as possible.

All the way to Brooklyn, Alec had only partially taken part in conversation. Isabelle was preoccupied with the mundane, who seemed like he still couldn't believe his luck and talking to Jace while Clary was nearby always kind of made Alec want to vomit, so he didn't even bother.

He walked a little ahead of everyone and the was first to arrive in front of the house the address had spoken of. Not as if it wasn't obvious, with around ten to twenty vampire motorcycles standing right beside the pavement. Alec stared a moment in awe (he always had wanted to get one of those, even when he knew he would probably look ridiculous on one of them- it surely had nothing to do with the fact a certain tawny eyed teenager was a fan of them, too.) before he turned around, wanting to get Jace's attention.

The blond boy stood around ten feet away and with a jolt Alec saw that he had his arm around Clary's shoulder. The casual shout-out to his friend turned kind of choked and definitely louder than Alec had intended, but Jace strolled over to him, anyway, a questioning but curious look on his face.

When Jace saw the bikes his face lit up immediately, making Alec's heart skip a beat. He slowly walked around the motorcycles, fingers trailing gently over the metal and Alec can only look transfixed at the curve of his hand as it slides over the silver. He looked so fascinated by the machines that Alec is really taken aback when he pulls a vial out of his jacket pocket, containing a clear liquid.

"What are you doing?", Alec asked, his voice dropping, looking nervously around himself.

Jace answered with a mischievous smile, before he dropped some drops of the holy water in the exhaust pipes of the bikes he could reach, making them completely useless to their owners.

Alec smiled back weakly, even when he wasn't sure that had been such a great idea. They should try to keep as much attention as possible away from them as they were definitely outnumbered by Downworlders if something should go wrong. Destroying vampires' property was probably not the wisest move.

Isabelle and Jace were bickering when he focused his attention on the group again. His sister advanced on the door of one of the houses, looking the names beside the buzzers up and down with narrowed eyes. After a moment she pressed one of them.

Everyone was waiting in silence. Isabelle grew impatient very soon, hammering on the buzzer when no one showed up immediately. Alec seized her hand.

"Don't be rude", he said, a wave of anticipation going through him. Warlocks were powerful and with the stunt Jace had just pulled, there was really no need to attract attention any more.

He nearly jumped out of his skin, when the door flew open. He nearly jumped a second time when he say who was standing in the now open doorway.

"Magnus…Magnus Bane?" he heard Isabelle say, but his attention was elsewhere. The black haired, cat-eyed youth looked slightly bored when he answered in the affirmative, his eyes traveling lazily over the group pausing only minutely at Alec, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He beckoned them inside. On the way to his apartment, Alec turned to Isabelle.

"Why didn't you tell us Magnus gave you the invitation himself?"

Isabelle looked at him, dumbfounded. "He didn't. And even if he did, I wouldn't have known it was him then, would I? Some kelpie gave the invitation to me. I already told you that at the restaurant earlier, remember? A handsome kelpie it was, too. Even though that warlock is not to look past, either…"

Alec's face had become more thoughtful with each word Isabelle had said. He was sure he had seen the warlock at the club, just after handing Isabelle the flyer. So why did she think someone else…? At his sister's last statement he involuntarily glanced at the warlock right in front of him, making his way up the stairs. He couldn't really deny the fact that he had a nice body. Slightly muscled but not to the point where it looked unnatural. He had pretty cheekbones as well, even when his make-up was a little over the top in Alec's opinion, who didn't even bother with concealer. And his eyes, somehow they looked good on him, even when at fist you felt a little disconcerted. Alec hadn't realized he had been staring until Magnus turned his head to look at him. Alec dropped his gaze, feeling himself blush. Magnus was polite enough to not comment. They had arrived at the party and to his amazement, Jace grabbed him by the elbow as soon as they entered the loft crammed with people, heading straight for the bar. He felt a strange feeling of satisfaction that jace had rather gone with him than with Clary.

His glee was short-lived, as he felt someone grabbing his butt while they made their way through the crowd. He looked around and saw a phouka, middle-aged and dressed in a long fur coat winking at him. He was to appalled to form a coherent sentence to tell him off and Jace dragged him on before the phouka could say anything.

They finally arrived at the bar, Jace looking, as Alec had to note with some resignation, eagerly at the fey bartender, a petite blonde girl with startlingly green eyes and necklaces made out of flowers in every color around her neck.

"Jace, what…-?"

"I'll get us some drinks," Jace interrupted and off he was, already having caught the attention of the bar girl. When he came back, he had two glasses of a neon yellow liquid in his hands and wore one of the girl's necklaces.

"Here, have some, Charlotte said it is one of her favorite drinks," Jace said, pushing one of the cups in Alec's hand who took it reluctantly.

_Chalotte, huh? _he thought, giving the blonde a look through narrowed eyes. _So we're on first name basis already? _

Jace had already downed his glass. Alec raised his, nipping from the liquid that had tasted faintly of pineapples and something more bitter. Alec wrinkled his nose.

"Not your taste?" Jace asked, voice teasing.

"No, no it tastes really good." Alec reassured, taking another gulp to prove his point. The liquid burned in his throat. He could hardly suppress a cough.

"Mhm." Jace studied him, "Let's find the others,"

"Hey, Blue Eyes."

Alec turned to find himself really close to one Magnus Bane. "Aren't you going to join the 'let's find the rat' parade over there." He pointed a manicured finger over Alec's shoulder into the direction Jace and the others had just vanished.

"I think that is hardly your concern," Alec answered moodily, but when he glanced up to see the taken aback look on the warlock's face, he added, "they'll be alright without me, I'm sure." He's surprised at how bitter his voice comes out.

Magnus had crossed his arms over his chest, looking thoughtfully into the distance. "You know, I find that getting upset over things you can't change is wasted effort."

"Shouldn't you be preventing acts of cannibalism?", Alec asked, ignoring the warlock. He really wasn't in the mood to get into high psychological talk right now. "Or maybe give them a lesson in manners. One of the phoukas you invited _did_ grope me, you know."

"So I heard", Magnus looked at him then, amusement in his voice.

"Why did Izzy say you weren't the one who gave her the invitation?" Alec asked suddenly, blushing under the warlock's gaze.

"Pardon?"

"At the club", Alec clarified, "This Sunday. You gave my sister the flyer to your party. I saw you." _And you saw me._

"I did? Well, like I said, I must have been drunk."

Alec wasn't satisfied. "She said a kelpie gave her the invitation. You're not a kelpie," he added, sounding rather lame even for his own ears.

"Did she now?" Magnus seemed deep in thought, "well, she maybe said that because I looked like one at the time."

It was Alec's turn to look up in question. "What?"

Magnus was suddenly very close. So close that Alec could feel the warlock's breath on his face. "You seem like a smart kid, I'm sure you can work this out…"

Alec felt his thoughts somersaulting in his head. In all the haze, he remembered something, something he had once learned in one of his classes with Hodge on the powers of the Children of Lilith.

"You're a ShapeShifter," he breathes, more to himself than to the warlock and is rewarded with a chesire smile. "See," the warlock said, stepping back, "I knew there was some wits under that messy

head of yours."

"So you changed your form for my sister?" Alec looked a little suspicious, "Why?"

"To be honest, I have no clue. I probably did it unintentionally. I already said I had had a few too many that night. Why" he adds with a grin, "does it fascinate you?"

"I was just wondering…"

"Tell you what," Magnus suddenly moves in close to him again, a folded piece of paper suddently in his right hand. "If you're really that interested, we could gladly discuss this when I don' t have a house of irritated vampires in my apartment."  
>Despite himself, Alec smiles when Magnus pressed the paper in his palm. Hs fingers are warm and he kept his hand in Alec's a little longer than was probably necessary.<p>

"And now, if you excuse me I have to help a rat in distress I think," straightening up, Magnus walked slowly past the Shadowhunter. When he was a few feet away, he turned once more, looking with twinkling eyes at Alec.

"By the way, I'll tell Roy to keep his hands to himself. Phoukas can be _so_ invasive sometimes."


	3. The One Were Time Is Running Out

A/N: So, here is the next chapter for you lovely people. The chapter after that will be the last to cover City of Bones. Then we'll move on to City of Ashes and we all know that means established even if still closeted Malec. This chapter takes place the day after the party and the next, where Alec is attacked by Abaddon. I would also like to point out that whenever there is a break in the story it means either a switch in POV or a scene from the books is set in between those two scenes. I really hope it's not too confusing for you, but I think it would be boring if I wrote all the scenes from the book in here as well.

Thank you especially to those who review. You make my day with your comments and constructive advice.

Okay, on with the show.

* * *

><p>The One Where Time Is Running Out<p>

It was six in the morning and Jace, Clary and Simon had still not come back. They hadn't seemed to care to tell anyone about their plans, which set Alec off. He had slept near to nothing and when he had finally decided to get up, they were still nowhere to be found and no one knew where they were.

When he voiced his concerns to Isabelle, she only shrugged it off.

"Jace always does what he wants." She had said in a matter-of-fact voice. "They'll be here soon enough. Probably Clary changed her mind and went back to let the warlock change Simon back."

"You think they went back to Magnus?"

"I think they _might._ This actually reminds me, do you intend to call him? He seemed to have taken a liking to you. I saw you and him talking at the party."

But Alec wasn't listening any more. He had made up his mind. If _someone_ knew where Jace was, it had to be Magnus. With a quick goobye to his sister he left her and sprintend out of the Isntitute.

"I asked you a question!" Isabelle yelled after him, frowning.

"Sorry Iz, I won't be long." Alec answered over his shoulder just before he turned the corner.

Only when he got off the subway at the station in Brooklyn, did Alec slow down. The pavement looked empty without the motorcycles and the house looked a little forlorn in the morning light. Alec braced himself before he walked to the door and pushed the buzzer.

There was a silence before a cracking sound came through the speaker, and then: "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

Alec stood paralyzed for a second, before he said, voice only slightly wavering: "It's me, Alec. I need to talk to you."

"Alec…", there was a short silence, "Blue Eyes?"

Alec made an impatient noise. There was really no time for this. "Yeah, that's me. Will you let me up now?"

Again silence, then: "…sure…?" There was a buzzing sound and the door opened a fraction. Alec walked through, nearly running up the stairs. The door to Magnus' apartment was already open and the warlock was leaning against the doorframe, looking a bit like he had just rolled out of bed_. Which he probably had_, Alec thought, feeling a tad guilty. He wore a green dressing gown and dark sweatpants, with a pink shirt underneath, a design like splattered paint on it. On his face, despite the sleepy expression, he wore a little smile.

"You know, I really hadn't expected you back so soon." He, said, crossing his arms across his chest. "It seems my looks are getting ahead of me."

He looked at Alec for the first time. When seeing the concerned expression on his face, his grin faltered slightly. "I'm just kidding…-"

"Was Jace here after we left the party?"

"Someone jealous?", Magnus asked, the slightest tone of teasing in his voice. Alec felt himself blush despite himself but didn't look away from the warlock, who sighed after a moment.

"He and the girl were here. They had lost their rat friend. They asked about the vampires, I told them where to find them, they left."

Alec looked dumbstruck.

"You told them where the vampires had their lair?"Alec asked, his voice sounding dangerous even to his own ears.

Magnus brought one hand up to run through his hair in a tired gesture. It shone when his fingers ran through the spikes, making Alec wonder if the was still glitter in it. "Why don't you just come in?"

Alec didn't move. His jaw was a straight line.

Silence. Magnus sighed, "Look, Alec. Jace is a grown up boy. I think whatever he does or doesn't do is his business." He turned around, walking into his apartment. "Why do you think it's yours?"

Alec hesitated. Magnus was eying him with an expression that the boy couldn't quite read. It unsettled him and when he spoke, his voice was defensive.

"Because we're parabatai."

Magnus looked back over his shoulder. Something in his look made Alec think that he knows that there is more to it than what Alec told him.

"Why don't you _come in_?"

This time, Alec moved slowly to the door. He still didn't step inside.

With an exasperated sigh, Magnus moved back to where he had stood a minute previously, eying Alec through narrowed eyes.

"You are a really stubborn Shadowhunter, you knew that?"

"I just want to get this over with."

Magnus' expression shifted. He had crossed his arms over his chest again, the sleeves of his nightgown rolled up to the elbows. Alec felt like he was studied at a doctor's examination.

"Why are you really upset?"

"I…" Alec looked down, feeling extremely self conscious.

"Maybe you should come back when you know the answer." Magnus' voice was soft, even gentle.

Alec felt the barest brush of fingertips on his cheek and looked up in surprise, but the only thing that greeted him was a now closed door.

* * *

><p>Clary knew. Clary <em>knew. Clary <em>knew.

As many times as Alec rolled the words around in his head, it felt like his whole world had somehow suddenly been crashed . After the foreshadowing of the last few days his inner struggle had finally peaked and he had snapped.

"_No wonder you never killed a demon, Alec Lightwood. You're too afraid."_

_Alec looked stunned. "Who told you that?"_

"_Jace."_

Alec stumbled and had to lean on the wall of the hall for support. The door of the infirmary seemed like an insurmountable obstacle all of a sudden.

Alec turned and ran.

* * *

><p><em>Jace and Simon had been brought to the infirmary right away. When Alec stepped into the room that smelled strongly off disinfectants, he saw Jace straighten up in bed and it gave him a small dose of triumph. He willed the feeling away, though, acting indifferent. <em>

_Because he felt like Jace had replaced him. Because Jace had not even asked for him to come along. He could have been of more help facing the vampires than that Clary girl. And still she had gone with Jace and not Alec._

"_Magnus Bane asked about you."_

_The statement came so unexpected, Alec looked up despite himself, locking eyes with Jace._

"_What?"_

"_He asked about you. When we went back to ask him about the vampires. He thought I was you and when I said I wasn't he seemed really disappointed." There was a smile on Jace's lips, one that told Alec his friend found the whole thing very amusing._

"_You could have told someone what you planned. We could have helped."_

"_We had the thing under control but you're missing the point here, Alec. There's a warlock hitting on you. "_

"_You had the thing under control?" Alec interrupted and looked at Jace straight on. "You were nearly killed trying to rescue that mundane!" He lowered his voice, glancing at Simon, who was sleeping in one of the beds opposite Jace's. "And you didn't even think about taking me or Isabelle with you, no, you had to take _her, _the girl_ _who has no experience whatsoever."_

"_She has a name, Alec," Jace said calmly._

"_I know!" the black-haired boy burst out. Jace looked at him in astonished silence, his eyes narrowed. Alec's stomach twisted._

"_I think I should go." Alec said, turning around. When he was at the door, he turned to look at Jace who was staring blankly at the floor. "I'll come back later. Try to sleep a little."_

* * *

><p>He saw the demon lunge for Jace and instantly acted. There was no time to think either way and Alec did the only thing he could.<p>

_No wonder you never killed a demon._

No, maybe he hadn't. But he would do anything he could to keep Jace from harm's way, even when he endangered himself in the process.

He felt the demon claws tearing through his skin and despite the severity of it, he had to smile. Because he had saved Jace. He heard the boy scream behind him, shouting his name just before the demon's arm struck him face on and everything went black.

* * *

><p>Magnus was crouched on the sofa, watching a rerun of America's Next Top Model when he heard the familiar crackling noise that announced the arrival of a fire message. He looked up from the screen, frowning in confusion. After a moment he got up, setting aside the Chairman who had slept soundly on his lap and now made a noise of protest at being deprived of his cozy sleeping place.<p>

"Shush, you." Magnus said distractedly but not without affection as he reached for the paper suspended in the air, its edges glowing as if they had been set on fire.

He read the note and felt his heart sink with every word.

_One of the Lightwood children was poisoned with blood of a Greater Demon. No reaction to iratzes or the standard antidotes. The boy is dropping in and out of consciousness and his condition is deteriorating by the minute. Come to the Institute as soon as you can._

_- Hodge_

Lightwood. The boy. Alec.

Magnus only let himself panic for a moment. There was enough time to ponder what could have happened to Alec after he had saved him. _If he saved him…_

_No,_ Magnus thought fast. He wouldn't go there. With a snap of his fingers his Spell book appeared in his hand. He snapped a second time and was gone.

A second later Magnus had reappeared in front of the Institute, the cathedral casting a long shadow in the late afternoon sun. It would have been a really nice atmosphere under other circumstances, but to Magnus the red and orange sky set him on edge with an awful feeling of foreboding.

He ran into the building, his mind set on the boy. Demon blood in a human's body was bad enough. In a Shadowhunter's system, which was also mixed with angel blood, it was as if two eternal enemies fought right under your skin.

He had seen this in his life a few times. It was no pretty sight. He knew Shadowhunters who had survived but gone mad at the pain. It was like being caught between two fronts, your mind was pulled in different directions, demon and angel battling for you.

Magnus had been at the Institute before but it was some time ago and he wasn't sure where he was supposed to be. The infirmary seemed to be the best place, but the only thing he could remember was that it was upstairs.

He dashed to the elevator and pressed frantically at the button. Only when he careered upwards did he think that he could have Transported upstairs. The door opened and Magnus pushed impatiently at the bars to get out.

"Hodge," he shouted, a little surprised at how raspy his voice came out. There was a movement to his left, but it wasn't a man who emerged from the door down the hallway.

"Magnus?" A black-haired girl in Shadowhunter gear asked. Her face was stained with blood and tears and she looked on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Magnus headed towards her. "You're Izzy, right?", he said, "Alec's sister? Where is he?" She looked at him with big eyes. _Oh no. He wasn't…?_

"He's in the infirmary." She said, her voice firmer than he would have expected from the look of pure shock on her face. "Where's Hodge? He said he would come right back but he has been gone for over ten minutes now."

Magnus was already past her, running to the door that Isabelle had come out of. When he moved into the room, it took him a moment to get his bearings. When he did, he nearly stopped dead in his tracks. Alec lay on one of the beds, the white skin too bright against the black sheets. White was the color of mourning for Shadowhunters, so they avoided it in places for the sick. The dark sheet felt eerie for Magnus, who didn't go by the Shadowhunters' traditions. Alec was shirtless, the bite and claw marks from the demon standing out as much as the sheets. Magnus moved to the bed, putting the Spell book down on the nightstand, which was covered in little flasks and bowls filled with different colored powders and pastes. Antidotes, no doubt about it. But they wouldn't be any use against a Greater demon's poison. Only magic was going to work and a lot of it at that. Magnus pressed his fingers softly against one of the red semi-circles on Alec's side and not very surprisingly the blood that leaaked out was much darker than Shadowhunter blood should be.

For the first time Alec moved and Magnus looked up at his face. His dark hair was plastered to his skin, with sweat and dirt and blood. His eyes were closed, but they moved under the eyelids frantically, as if he was having a bad dream. His mouth was parted and he was drawing in short irregular breaths. Magnus heart clenched at the sight.

"He's been like this for the last fifteen minutes." Isabelle said suddenly, startling Magnus. He could hear the vulnerability and concern in her voice. "Before that, he was responsive, but…" She didn't need to finish the sentence.

"What demon was it?""

"Abaddon. I had never heard of him before."

Magnus hadn't either.

He took one last look at Alec, before he turned to Isabelle.

"You have to wait outside." At Isabelle's enraged look, he added, "I'm going to use a lot of my power. It will work against the demon's blood but it will also work against you if one of the sparks hits you by accident."

Magnus reached out as if to lay a hand on her shoulder, but restrained himself.

"I'm sorry Isabelle, but you have to get out. It's the only way I can save him."

The girl looked at him for a moment before she nodded once, turned around and walked to the door. She faltered there, facing Alec one last time before fixing her eyes on Magnus.

"I hope you know what you're doing," her tone meant to be threatening but the fear was evident when she spoke.

Magnus looked her straight in the eyes when he answered. "I will do anything I can."

"Good." And with that she left the room, closing the door behind her.

As soon as Isabelle was out, Magnus looked back at Alec, his face set in grim determination. He grabbed the Spell book and moved frantically through the pages. He needed to find something and he needed to find it fast. Abbadon… Abaddon… where was a damn spell for him?

The seconds seemed like hours but finally Magnus turned a page and found the name. He almost sighed in relief but realized there was nothing accomplished yet. This was highly advanced magic, the kind that could have disastrous effects when done wrongly. He mustn't let his concentration slip.

He took the time to read the instructions carefully even when his whole body and mind screamed for him to _do something_. Magnus had over the years become quite good at memorizing things, so he only needed to read the spell one time before it was stuck in his brain.

He lay the book down and braced himself. This would probably drain him of most of his power, so he had to give everything he had on the first try.

With one last deep breath he brought his hands down over Alec's body, covering as many wounds as he could with his hands. Alec didn't respond to the touch at all now, giving Magnus the prompt to act.

He said the incarnation in his head, pronouncing every syllable with utmost care. When he finished he concentrated his whole attention on where he wanted his power to flow, the one that would destroy every last drop of demon poison it could find.

There was a few seconds of total silence except for Alec's uncontrolled breathing. He was still in a state far away from being conscious and Magnus was too scared to think that he might be already too lost to ever find his way back. Instead he closed his eyes, letting the magic sweep through his body. He felt a slow warmth spreading through his chest into his arms, like waves. They seeped to a certain point before retracting back. Then they moved forward once more, each time a little farther.

To his elbows… to his wrists…to the back of his hand…

The magic soured out of Magnus' body with such force that Magnus was nearly blown over. He steadied himself instantly, clenching his teeth against the pull, amplifying his effort to keep focused. He felt rather than heard Alec gasp out as the blue and red sparks penetrated his body, some of them being reflected to course through the small room.

Out of the corner of his eye, Magnus saw Alec's hands claw into the bed sheets and he heard him scream out. It was one of the most heartbreaking things he had heard in his long life.

_Stay strong, Alec, _Magnus thought desperately, the effects of using so much power at once already taking effect, making him feel like he had spent too much time in the sun without drinking anything. _Hold on just a little bit longer. _

He had only on very few occasions had to use strong spells like these, but he knew instantly when the critical point was reached. Once every last spark had gone from Magnus' over to Alec's body it was not his battle to fight any longer. Alec had to keep alive long enough for the sparksf to wipe out every last demon remain. Through the haze that was Magnus' mind he heard a soft voice, whispering harshly into the room. Alec.

He pulled himself upright, his whole body screaming with exhaustion. He ignored the protest of his muscles as he maneuvered himself to stand as close to Alec as possible. The boy's eyes were wide open, an expression of sheer agony in every feature; his body lay arched; his hands were still clenched.

It sent a wave of extreme frustration through Magnus, because he felt utterly helpless watching the boy falling to pieces in front of him.

"Alec…", he said and brought up on hand to stroke over Alec's cheek, not even completely aware of it until Alec turned his head.

"I know it hurts." He said, his voice unusually soft, "It will be over soon, I promise."

Magnus wasn't even sure Alec could hear him right now. He didn't say anything, only stared at Magnus with his dark, wide eyes. Then suddenly he arched with a cry, his teeth clenching to cut off his scream. His nails dug into the mattress with such force Magnus thought he heard a bone crack. He lay one of his hands over Alec's in an attempt to offer comfort and the boy instantly clawed onto Magnus wrist, clutching with a force that Magnus didn't think he still had in his body. Alec was stronger than he looked.

It was nearly ten minutes until, with an explosion of white light, Alec went suddenly completely still. There was a second where Magnus was scared to look at Alec's face, afraid that he would see his eyes open and unseeing but then Alec drew in a breath, breathing heavily through his mouth.

Magnus himself exhaled with relief. He hadn't even realized he had stopped breathing.

"I feel awful."

Magnus hadn't thought about how much he had actually hoped to hear Alec's voice again. The warlock chuckled tiredly, which sounded just a little like a sob. He used the hand that Alec wasn't still clutching unto to wipe away Alec's fringe from his sticky forehead. Their eyes met and Magnus smiled. "Your body is recharging. You will be fine in a few hours. If I had enough power left in my body to heal your wounds I would. But I can't even conjure a glass of water for you at the moment."

Alec let out a coughed up laugh. It made Magnus feel like a weight was lifted from him. He felt a sudden impulse to lean down and nuzzle into the boy. He didn't.

"Thank you."

Magnus smile widened. He didn't respond but traced his finger over Alec's hair, making the boy look up in mild surprise. After a moment, he moved fractionally closer and broke into a soft smile that turned strained when a muscle in his body stretched funny at the movement.

"Ouch."

"Don't move."

"Thanks for the warning in advance." Alec said, but it was without scorn.

Magnus raised his eyebrows at him before remembering something. He had to tell Isabelle that Alec was okay. She was probably worrying her head off.

"I have to tell—" He made to get up but Alec's hand wouldn't let go of his wrist.

"Magnus," the amusement in his voice had completely vanished, being replaced by something that made Magnus turn back in confusion. Fear.

"Please… stay here?"

Magnus contemplated him a moment. The boy looked awful. He had bags under his eyes and was still covered in dirt and blood. And Magnus couldn't take his eyes off of him.

He sighed affectionately. "Let me just get a chair."


End file.
